Head’s End of Term Letter July 2009

Dear Parents and Pupils,

at the end of a long academic year, after so many positive achievements, I always begin my letters by reminding you of our current priorities as a school. They are to:

· Continue to improve the examination performance of our pupils, especially for those pupils who do not achieve the national benchmark of level 5 in Year 9

· Provide more choices of learning styles for students in Years 9-11 linked to their personal learning pathway

· Build up a sense of community in the school

· Improve the understanding of parents, pupils and the community about our specialist status in technology and applied learning

Learning and innovation

Earlier this term, we undertook a programme of lesson observations. I saw a wide range of lessons with all year groups. I know that our pupils benefit every day from vibrant, focused activities that develop skills and subject knowledge. It is wonderful to see our young people making progress.

One of our greatest successes this year was the Year 7 Foundation Programme, more commonly known as SPLAT. The programme is skills driven. A few weeks a go, parents of Year 7 pupils were invited to school to look at their outcomes which included displays from The Olive Press and Roefield Leisure Centre.

In 1999, Ribblesdale became one of the first Technology Colleges in England. Ten years on, we celebrated our first decade with The Great Exhibition. The event demonstrated the impact this specialism has had on technology, art, textiles, hospitality and catering, to name just a few areas. I was pleased to welcome to school the Deputy Mayor of Ribble Valley, and Mr Bob Stott, Assistant Director for Universal Services with Lancashire County Council. I know they too were bowled over by the quality of what was on display. Thank you to everyone involved for making the event an outstanding success.

Standards of uniform and school ethos

Last term I wrote to you about the standard of some pupils’ uniform. I said that we expected uniform to be of the same high standard every day irrespective of the time of year, age of the pupil. Whilst there has been some improvement, some aspects of it are still not good enough: footwear, in particular. Please see the enclosed page dedicated to uniform. When we start the new school year in September, everyone should be clear what the expectations are.

Unfortunately, I have recently excluded permanently two pupils who possessed and attempted to pass on drugs to other young people. A simple message again: zero tolerance in this school.

Enrichment programmes

This year has been one of the most successful for the school, particularly in sports competitions. Our teams have achieved:

· HRV Cup: Year 7 came 2^nd on goal difference; Year 8 winners; Year 9 runners up; Y10 quarter finalists; Year 11 Double Winners League and Cup

· HRV Cricket Cup: Year 7 winners

· Athletics: Overall boys’ track champions

· Netball: HRV winners in Year 8 and 9

· Golf: Lancashire Schools Championship – 1, 2^nd or 3^rd place across different categories

· Individual honours for Lancashire and England

Congratulations! You can see a full list of enrichment activities reviewed or advertised on the school’s website. The next update will be in September.

The performance arts at Ribblesdale have produced a number of events this year. Last night, I attended “Stars” at The Grand. There were 500 very lucky people watching a hundred pupils perform and support behind the scenes. How would I describe it? Outstanding.

Educational visits continue to take place. This year we have seen a number of overseas visits and more local ones. Each continues to have an important impact on pupils’ learning providing them with opportunities to develop and grow up beyond the classroom. In the coming months, we expect to be awarded ‘International School Status’.

Ribblesdale is now a Full Core Offer Extended School. This means that we provide or ‘signpost’ to a range of services that support young people. This term we have had a bicycle club, teaching boys in particular to ride responsibly; cooking/camping group looking at life skills; a ‘big sister’ group for girls; Indian head and foot massage. Such opportunities are available next term as well, and I would like to remind pupils that the Learning Resource Centre is open and staffed after school on Tuesday and Thursday until 6pm and on Monday and Wednesday until 4.30pm.

Getting healthy

Last Friday was the “Get Healthy Day”. This was a superb day where health matters were tackled in lessons and activities provided in the LRC during lunch time. I am grateful to staff, pupils and many agencies that supported us including the NHS. What did we do? Blood pressure, pulses, skate-boarding, army sports, learning about sleep, dietitians, to name just a few. Also, our School Travel Plan has just been approved by the DCSF, which means we now have some additional resources to support our plan and try to make a positive impact on the environment.

As we prepare for the autumn term, I must ask for your help. Given the likely escalation of the H1N1 flu virus, I would ask that the parent of any pupil who has a clinical diagnosis given after Monday 24 August must inform us by telephoning the main school number during office hours (you can leave a message – please tell us your son or daughter’s coaching group). This will help us plan more effectively for the start of term.

And finally

At this time of year a number of staff are leaving the school: Miss Vercoe, Mrs Bootle, Mrs Brayshaw and Miss Richardson. Miss Richardson is also getting married: congratulations! Also leaving are Mrs Court and Mr Hammond. Mrs Loxham is retiring after seven years working in learning support, and Mr Wild is also retiring after committing most of his working life to the young people of Ribblesdale – 28 years! We are grateful for all they have done in moving Ribblesdale forward.

We wish every success to Year 10 and 11 pupils who await their summer examination results due in August. I would personally like to thank pupils, parents and all staff for their help and cooperation this year and wish all of you a great summer holiday and a good rest.

School opens on Friday 4 September for (new) Year 7 and Year 11 pupils and for all other pupils on Monday 7 September. Pupils must be on site at 8.45am prompt.

Yours sincerely

S A Smith

Headteacher